Brisbane Based Hapkido Training & Instruction

Meet the team – Sean

Our students at Hapkido Hosinsul have all joined us for different reasons so we thought we’d share a few stories from them, giving you an insight into what makes them a martial artist.

Why did you start training with Hapkido Hosinsul?

My beginnings with Hapkido Hosinsul were made possible thanks to the help of two close friends. I was working as a Wedding/Party DJ at this particular point in my life, and after a few too many close calls during my late nights at work, I had figured that something needed to be done to protect myself from harm. My two above-mentioned friends pulled a collection of money together from my group for my 19th Birthday, which helped to pay for my membership and first few months of training.

Needless to say, from the very first night, I was hooked! Hapkido Hosinsul offers a safe and friendly environment, where I’ve now spent years learning a variety of self-defence techniques, throws, patterns, and various acrobatic abilities. I can safely say that since beginning with this group I never felt vulnerable when being faced with various dangers involved within my line of work. Even after concluding my work as a DJ, the knowledge and skills I continue to learn reinforce that I always feel safe when I am out and about.

How long have you trained for?

I began with Hapkido Hosinsul as of June 2011 and have been there ever since. Training twice a week ensures that I’m always on the move and everything taught remains fresh in my mind as I’ve advanced my way through the ranks. Now as a Black Belt, I help to instruct classes and hope to instil the same passion for this martial art in new students as I have come to discover throughout my time here.

What is the best thing about Hapkido Hosinsul?

It’s hard to really say because there are so many amazing things about Hapkido, both as a martial art in itself, but also about our school, Hapkido Hosinsul.

Hapkido itself is a hybrid martial art that takes influences from various other practices. A lot of our self-defence techniques and joint locks date back to post World War II, adapted originally from forms of Japanese Jujutsu, which dates back even further (Approximately 900 years!). Our various throws are also adapted from Judo disciplines, and our kicks and strikes are adapted from two other Korean Martial Arts; Taekkyon and the more mainstream Tae Kwon Do.

Hapkido Hosinsul harnesses this mixture perfectly – with our instructors holding years of experience in multiple disciplines including Traditional Jujitsu, Judo and Kickboxing. However, don’t let their vast years of knowledge intimidate you, as both Russell and Warwick are both amazing and passionate teachers who truly love this art. With each student they adapt their style of teaching to what suits the individual, and focus on specific techniques based on builds, strength, and level of skill and abilities. I arrived at Hapkido Hosinsul on day one barely able to touch my toes, and now I’m doing full-side splits, (almost) no-handed cartwheels and diving over 8 students with no issue.

I’ve come to see my group at Hapkido Hosinsul as not only a group I train with, but as a second family. Nothing is more inspiring than seeing our group putting in 110% effort each night, attaining new skills and achievements, and watching each of them progress in leaps and bounds.

And what is the worst thing?

It’s very hard to say because my particular idea of the worst thing is born of a “Love-Hate” relationship, which is Wednesday Night Warm-ups. There are few things I dislike in this world, but I can definitely place “Lactic acid burn” on that list. However, as much as I hate lactic acid, I love the fact that it has helped me to shed almost 30kg since my first night with the school.

To someone who is thinking about trying it, what would you say to them?

New things are always scary – I can speak from experience there. I can truly recommend coming along to one of our training sessions, even just to have a chat. As with any new experience, it’s definitely worth trying at least once, and with a no-obligation free first week there’s really nothing to lose. I hope we at Hapkido Hosinsul can prove what we have to offer, which is a friendly, welcoming and safe environment with both talented and skilled instructors. So come on down and try us out (I promise we don’t bite!)